How does the early year's provision identify and assess children with special educational needs and disabilities?

How does the early year's provision identify and assess children with special educational needs and disabilities?

We observe the children to find out about their individual learning styles (characteristics of learning), to provide an accurate baseline assessment, to monitor and assess their development, to plan relevant experiences to challenge the children, to plan for individual children, enable staff to evaluate their effectiveness and inform future planning, to communicate progress to parents.

We are also encouraging Health Visitors to complete an integrated two year review with the setting and parents.

Observation is an integral part of the daily routine and it is the responsibility of every practitioner to ensure accurate observations are recorded for all children during their time in the EYFS. We use the Early Years Outcomes as an aid to understand the level the children are attaining. All staff members should observe on a regular basis, and discussion and evaluation should inform future planning.

How will the curriculum be matched to meet children's developmental needs?

How will the curriculum be matched to meet children's developmental needs?

A graduated approach is used, as described in the SEND Code of Practise 2014.

The three levels of intervention are:

1. Quality First Teaching - all children require Quality First Teaching.

This alone may be all that is required for children who may be making slower progress. All practitioners have a good working knowledge of child development, and a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

2. SEN Support - in addition to Quality First Teaching

This support is for children who may have trouble accessing playing and learning opportunities or communicating with others. A SEN support plan is put in place in conjunction with the parents and any other service that may be involved. Regular opportunities to play and learn with the same small group of children under close adult supervision are encouraged to support children to build relationships with adults and peers and their confidence and self-esteem. Differentiation in planning is put in place and may include help from external agencies.

3. Education, Health and Care Plan

This final level is for children who experience significant, enduring and/or complex difficulties accessing playing and learning opportunities. In addition to Quality First Teaching and SEN support the practitioners will access specialised training such as Autism Spectrum Disorder. We work in partnership with other agencies, attend meetings, provide reports etc as deemed necessary to provide a multi-agency approach. The plan will be set through discussion by the various agencies, the childcare setting and the parents.

As recognised by our latest Ofsted report "The quality of our teaching is Outstanding"

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the early years setting?

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the early years setting?

Through all the levels of intervention support and advice can be accessed through a variety of sources such as a health visitor or the Early Years team in particular the area SENCO. Their level of expertise and knowledge enables the setting to meet the needs of the children and families in their care.

In addition to practical advice and the provision of differing strategies, they can provide the names and contact details of other agencies that may be able to support the child.

The DCatch fund is also available for the setting to obtain financial support to enable them to provide specialised teaching and resources, additional adult support. By the use of all these different agencies we will be able to ensure that the curriculum is tailored to meet the specific needs of the child and includes the child's learning styles and interests such as including schemas in the planning.

Through the time we have been pone, we have worked in partnership with and accessed support and advice from a wide variety of sources.

These include:

Speech and Language Therapists

Health Visitors

Family Support Workers

Asthma Nurse

Portage Practitioner

Early Years Team

Educational Psychologist

EMTAS

Language Support Team

Communication Support Worker

Peadiatrician

Nurse Practitioner

What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had, or are having?

What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had, or are having?

Below is some of the training that has been undertaken by our practitioners:

Infinity pump and gastronomy tube feeding

Full staff twilight training: Making sense of Autism in the Early Years

Learning to talk: talking for learnng

Speech Therapy

Inclusion - everyone's responsibility

Babbling babies

Every Child a Talker

Sign Language

Makaton

Tier 3 Autism

Senco business meetings that have covered a wide area of training

How accessible is the early years setting environment? (indoors/outdoors)

How accessible is the early years setting environment? (indoors/outdoors)

Our nursery is a single storey building with seperate accomodation for children in each age range within four rooms. Access to the building is facilitated by ramps to each door, wide doors to allow wheelchair access and benefits from a disabled toilet facility. Equipment and resources are at a height where children and those in wheelchairs can access them.

How will the early years provision prepare and support my child(ren's) transition to their next educational establishment?

How will the early years provision prepare and support my child(ren's) transition to their next educational establishment?

Transition to school

The manager sends out letters (mid summer term) to local schools inviting Reception Teachers to visit and be introduced to the children who are due to enter their establishment at the beginning of the Autumn term.

This allows the teachers to observe the children in a place where they are secure andthrough discussion with the child's key workers obtain information about the childs level of achievement, their learning styles, their particular friends, any strategies that might help settle the child.

Teachers can then plan for the individual child as they partake in their pre-visits to school. There has been recognition form the schools that these visits help ease what could be a traumatic experience to a child. If a teacher is unable to visit then the setting offers a telephone consultation where again the teacher can discuss the child with the key worker. The teachers understanding of the child's social and emotional development in a group setting again eases transition to school and consolidates pre-visits made with the parent / carer.

Information gathered under "Flying from the start" will be shared with the next settings and providers. Practitioners will plan and provide activities that promote discussions regarding starting school, touching on feelings and emotions if necessary.

If it is felt that the child needs extra support during the transition to school then plans can be put in place for the key worker to attend the visits to their new setting with the child.

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Durham County Council's Families Information Service does not promote nor endorse the services advertised on this website.
Anyone seeking to use/access such services does so at their own risk and may make all appropriate enquiries about fitness
for purpose and suitability to meet their needs.

Disclaimer: Durham County Council's Families Information Service encourages and promotes the use of plain English. We therefore reserve the right to amend any information supplied as necessary. Durham County Council's Families Information Service does not promote nor endorse the services advertised on this website. Anyone seeking to use/access such services does so at their own risk and may make all appropriate enquiries about fitness for purpose and suitability to meet their needs.